Machine for manufacturing coaxial pairs for telecommunication cables



Patented May 11, 1954 Minid MACHINE FOR MANU PAIRS FOR TEL FACTURING COAXIAL ECOMMUNICATION CABLES Florimond A. J. Bouchet, Paris, France, assignor Societe Alsacienne de caniques, Paris, France,

.Application August 4,

Claims priority, Scptcm Constructions Mea corporation of France 1950, Serial No. 177,592

application France ber 3, 1949 1 Claim. (Cl. 29-203) This invention is for improvements in or relating to a machine for manufacturing co-axial pairs of conductors for telecommunication cables and more particularly the provision of means i'or arranging spaced insulating discs upon a centrally disposed conductor.

In a particular of an inner (or central) conductor arranged centrally inside an outer cylindrical conductor. The inner conductor is centrally arranged within the outer conductor by means of discs of insulating material spa-ced apart at regular inter- Vals.

For the construction of these pairs, machines are generally employed in which a mechanism is operable iirstly to arrange regularly, on the central conductor, insulating discs which have been previously cut out and perforated to the necessary dimensions and secondly to forni the outer cylindrical conductor, generally from a suitably cut out tape and forming it into a cylindrical tube which forms a covering for the insulating discs. The central conductor usually consists of a single Wire of circular cross-section.

According to one object of the present invention there is provided the machine for manufacturing (2o-axial pairs of telecommunication cables insulation, wherein insulating discs are fed by a duct into a channel arranged at right angles to the direction of the said rectilinear duct, said discs being pushed into the channel by means of a piston to meet a knife which splits the disc radially and thereafter pushes the slit discs straddling the knife along the .knife and nnally places them on the central conductor which is carried upon a wheel. The rim of this wheel has a thickness about equal to the diameter of the central conductor, so that the said rim can also be straddled by the slit piston.

Gther features of the machine which is the cbof the invention comprise essentially a block nside which are provided a curved passage 1vdapted to receive the wheel carrying a central conductor a rectilinear guiding channel loated at the outlet thereof and forming an eX- tension ci the said passage, a knife fixed relatively to said block, in such a manner that one of its edges extends substantially parallel to the guiding channel and is disposed within the said channel, and in the vicinity of which there is provided the above-mentioned duct for feeding discs into said channel, the said duct being disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the said channel, a piston slidable in said channel, means for imparting a reciproca ing movement to said piston and means for causing discs supplied by said duct to enter said channel at regular intervals.

During the rectilinear motion of the slit discs the edges of the slit are brought into Contact with the central conductor then carried by the Wheel at a point where the conductor is intentionally curved. The edges of the slots in the discs open and the discs are arranged to straddle the conductor and the wheel carrying it, the discs being pushed by the piston somewhat further than the point where the said conductor ceases to be carried by the wheel.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l illustrates in elevation and partly in section along line I-I of Figure 2 a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view in a plane perpendicular to that of Figure l, and passing through the line II-II thereof.

Figures 3 and l are transverse sections on the lines III-III and IV-IV of Figure 2.

.Figures 5 and 6 are respectively elevation and section views of the knife represented at l2 on Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the machine illustrated comprises a plate l arranged to support a wheel 2 provided with a groove at its periphery 0n which rests a central conductor 3 or a co-aXial `pair in its path in the direction of the arrow l.

On the plate i is mounted a rectangular block 5 at one end of which are mounted two blocks tu and Eb. The block 5a only is shown on Fig. l, as the projection of 5b on the plane of said Fig. l coincides with that of 6a. The central plane of the wheel 2 constitutes a plane of symmetry for the block 5 and coincides with the plane of con tact of the two blocks ta and 6b. A longitudinal channel l, which is substantially of the same diameter as an insulating disc is provided inside the block 5; two grooves, of semi-circular section, are provided on the opposite faces of the blocks 6c and tb and these grooves form a second channel S extending from the channel 1. On Fig. 2 the parts of Sc and 6b at the left of the axis of the wheel 2 are supposed to be removed, to make the mechanism visible.

Inside the channel 'l a piston 9 is mounted, capable of sliding, which, at the end of its stroke, uncovers a rectilinear feed duct Ili into which insulating discs ii, and IIa, may be fed by a device known per se. The insulating discs are thus delivered one at a time in front of the piston 9.

A knife blade i2 is arranged between parts En and 6b and extends into the channel 8 so that one longitudinal edge thereof extends a little beyond the length of the channel 8 and one of its iree ends is located on the rim of the feed duct l0. The piston 9 is provided with a longitudinal groove da of such dimensions that said piston 9 can ide in the channel 8 without fouling the knife i2. By iov-ing the piston 9 towards the knife by means which will be hereinafter described, the piston 9 pushes an insulating disc I I towards the knife I2 which slits the disc radially. The continued movement of the slit insulatingr disc under the action oi the piston B, causes the said disc to straddle the central conductor 3 at the end of the curved part thereof and to be iurther pushed and carried along by said conductor.

In order to prevent the disc II from failing to assume or preserve a suitable disposition in the duct l and to prevent it falling down in front of the piston d, a suitable guiding device is provided. To this effect the blocks parts 5a and Eb are wedge-shaped and are each provided with an oblique groove iI3 wherein a catch Idl can move.

These catches are designed so as partly to complete the channel 8 and to provide with the feed duct Ii) a housing for the disc II, as will be readily seen from Figure 2. With such an arrangement the insulating disc II, pushed by the piston Si is clamped between the end of the piston and the two movable catches I4 where it is held in a correct position in which to be presented to the knife I2.

The bent-over end of a yieldingly controlled rod I6 secured by a screw Il to a sleeve I8 which surrounds the piston 9 is adapted to engage with a notch I5 in each catch I4. A spring I9 interposed between the sleeve I8 and the end of block '5 tends to hold the catches -Ifi against block 5, a position in which they partly fill the channel 8 in the circumstances described in the preceding paragraph.

Through the medium of the piston S, the disc II pushes the catches I4 which, in their motion along the inclined face of each wedge-shaped block ta or 5b, are separated to free the central channel 8 so as to allow the passage of the insulating disc. The catches remain apart and bear on the piston S as long as the same is disposed in the channel 8.

During the return stroke of the piston the catches resume their position of partially blocking the channel 8 under the action of the spring i9, which, by pushing back the ring I8, brings the catches back into their initial position under the influence of the yielding rods IS. The piston 9 upon finishing its return stroke, uncovers the feed duct I9 and permits a new insulating disc to fall in front of the piston in the space limited by the catches il and the end of the piston.

The reciprocating motion of the piston is derived from the angular displacement of a lever 20, moved by any device of a known type, for instance a cam system or a connecting rod and crank.

In order to provide a sufficient time for the fall of the insulating disc II into its housing at the end of the piston stroke, the piston is connected to the lever 20 through a lost motion device.

The motion of this lever is imparted to the piston Si through two bearing rings 2| and 22 having a certain play between them, allowing the piston to remain at rest for a suitable period of its stroke. The piston is mounted in friction rings 23, 24 and 25 formed of self lubricating bodies, the purpose of which is to facilitate the displacement of the piston by decreasing the risk of seizing.

ln order to prevent any rotational movement of the piston about its axis during longitudinal displacement thereof a pin 21 is arranged to engage with the longitudinal groove 9c, of piston 9.

The leading end of the piston 9 is flattened as shown at 28 to prevent an insulating disc IIa waiting to drop into the channel I from being struck away by the end of the piston during its displacement.

What is claimed is:

in a machine for mounting spaced insulating discs on the inner conductor of a coaxial pair, a rectilinear disc feeding duct, a disc holding chamber at one end of said duct into which the discs are fed successively .and retained momentarily each with its axis perpendicular' to the direction of feed in the duct, a rst rectilinear channel opening into the chamber on one side thereof and coaxial with the disc in said chamber, a slit piston mounted to slide in said rst channel and to push the discs out of said chamber transversely to the direction of feed in said duct, a disc guiding device communicating with said chamber on the other side thereof and positioned to guide the discs when pushed out of said chamber and to denne a path oi movement i thereor, a second rectilinear channel positioned in .alinement with said first channel beyond said guiding device the path of movement defined by said guiding device for said d' cs when pushed by said piston, said guiding device and second channel comprising a pair of blocks having grooved contacting surfaces defining said second channel and inclined outer iaces diverging in a direction away from said chamber, a pair of movable catches each positioned to slide on one oi said inclined faces between an obstructing position adjacent said chamber at which said catches obstruct said path of movement and a remote position at which said catches are separated by said bloc-lts to leave said path unobstructed, first resilient means yieldably urging said catches into said obstructing position, and second resilient means urging said catches into sliding Contact with said inclined faces, a knife projecting into said second channel. and path of movement of the discs and having a cutting edge extending parallel thereto from a point adjacent said chamber to a point beyond said second channel, a peripherally grooved wheel of thickness substantially equal to and positioned to support the inner conductor adjacent said point beyond said second channel in alinernent therewith, and means for reciprocating said piston between a retracted position inside said iirst channel and a position at least partly overlap- Number Name Date Schneider Feb. 15, 1927 15 Number 6 Name Date Gaisman Dec. 11, 1928 Balsam Aug. 21, 1934 Seeley Sept. 12, 1989 McWhorter et al. Dec. 3, 1940 Lignian Dec. 31, 1940 Larsen Sept. 2, 1947 Bertalan July 18, 1950 

